SpaceX plans to send five unmanned vehicles to Mars
Elon Musk has indicated that SpaceX plans to send five unmanned spacecraft to Mars within two years.
“If all of these vehicles land safely, crewed missions will be possible within four years. If we run into challenges, crewed missions will be delayed for another two years,” Musk said in a post on his social media platform X.
Earlier this month, Musk explained that these first missions will not have humans on board so that SpaceX can test whether or how well it can successfully land vehicles on the Red Planet.
Mars has extreme temperatures compared to Earth, with surface temperatures ranging from minus 25 degrees Celsius to minus 85 degrees Celsius depending on location. Dust storms are also possible, and can cover the entire planet.
Global dust storms on Mars occur roughly every five and a half Earth years, so SpaceX needs to factor Martian weather into its calculations.
NASA does not believe that these global dust storms could damage the equipment because they reach maximum speeds of 96 km/h, although they could affect other parts of the landing process.
When Mars and Earth are at their closest point, the Red Planet will be more than 62 million km away from Earth.
NASA estimates that the spacecraft will take about nine months to travel to Mars. In July, NASA completed a year-long Mars simulation with a human crew to test the potential impact of Mars on human health.
Musk has voiced his desire to transport humanity to Mars for years, although it was not clear whether these dreams would come true in his lifetime.
Musk has criticized U.S. regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration, after SpaceX failed to follow launch rules when launching its Falcon 9 rocket.
The FAA could fine SpaceX nearly $633,000 as a result, though SpaceX has claimed the FAA is out of step with the industry.
The company has also criticized environmental reviews of its launches for slowing down its plans, even though regulators have found that SpaceX has polluted local waters in Texas.
A New York Times investigation in July found that the company misled officials about the environmental damage it caused, which harmed native wildlife in Texas. SpaceX dismissed the investigation, calling it false and factually inaccurate.
Starlink sales will fund planned Mars missions, though NASA may also reportedly contribute to the effort.
SpaceX has launched more than 7,000 Starlink satellites, and about 6,300 of them are currently providing internet to Starlink customers around the world.